OpenDocMan vs OpenSign
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OpenDocMan
Free web-based document management system in PHP
VS
OpenSign
Document signing software (alternative to DocuSign)
| Feature | OpenDocMan | OpenSign |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 281 | ★ 6,783 |
| First released | 2004 | 2026 |
| Replaces | DocuWare, M-Files | — |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenSign if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenDocMan or OpenSign better?
Neither is universally better. OpenSign has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenDocMan and OpenSign free and open-source?
Yes. OpenDocMan is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OpenSign under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenDocMan and OpenSign with Docker?
OpenDocMan: yes. OpenSign: yes.